Frank Lovell
Encyclopedia
Frank Lovell was an American communist
politician.
Lovell was born in Ipava, a town situated in the farming district of Illinois
. Lovell studied psychology at the University of California
in Berkeley
. After he had left the campus, Lovell earned his living as a seaman, chiefly on the West Coast of the United States.
In the 1930s, Frank Lovell came into contact with Trotskyist movement led by James P. Cannon
and he became one of the first members of the Socialist Workers Party
, and in 1942 he was elected to its National Committee.
As a seaman, Lovell was active in the Sailors Union of the Pacific and the leader of many strikes. In 1943, during World War II
, serving in the U.S. merchant marine, Frank Lovell barely survived the blow up of his ship by a German
mine off the coast of Iceland
as the ship came off the Murmansk
run.
In the 1950s, Frank Lovell was one of the SWP’s prominent members who had to move to Detroit the rebuild the party’s branch there after the SWP had had to expel a lot of members part of the Bert Cochran
faction group. Lovell run for Governor of Michigan on the SWP ticket in 1954, 1958 and 1964, and as candidate for Mayor of Detroit in 1953 amidst an atmosphere of McCarthyism
.
In the early 1980s, Frank Lovell, and several other members of the SWP, got into a sharp conflict with the new, younger party leadership under Jack Barnes
. Eventually, Lovell and many other members of the party were expelled; some of these, Lovell included, went on to establish the Fourth Internationalist Tendency
.
At the age of 84, Frank Lovell died in a heart attack in his apartment in Manhattan
on May Day
1998.
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
politician.
Lovell was born in Ipava, a town situated in the farming district of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Lovell studied psychology at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. After he had left the campus, Lovell earned his living as a seaman, chiefly on the West Coast of the United States.
In the 1930s, Frank Lovell came into contact with Trotskyist movement led by James P. Cannon
James P. Cannon
James Patrick "Jim" Cannon was an American Trotskyist and a leader of the Socialist Workers Party.Born on February 11, 1890 in Rosedale, Kansas, he joined the Socialist Party of America in 1908 and the Industrial Workers of the World in 1911...
and he became one of the first members of the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (United States)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
, and in 1942 he was elected to its National Committee.
As a seaman, Lovell was active in the Sailors Union of the Pacific and the leader of many strikes. In 1943, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, serving in the U.S. merchant marine, Frank Lovell barely survived the blow up of his ship by a German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
mine off the coast of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
as the ship came off the Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
run.
In the 1950s, Frank Lovell was one of the SWP’s prominent members who had to move to Detroit the rebuild the party’s branch there after the SWP had had to expel a lot of members part of the Bert Cochran
Bert Cochran
Bert Cochran was an American Communist politician and author.Cochran was born in Poland in 1913 and came to the US at an early age. His birth name was Alexander Goldfarb. In the 1930s, Cochran attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he was recruited to the Trotskyist movement by Max...
faction group. Lovell run for Governor of Michigan on the SWP ticket in 1954, 1958 and 1964, and as candidate for Mayor of Detroit in 1953 amidst an atmosphere of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
.
In the early 1980s, Frank Lovell, and several other members of the SWP, got into a sharp conflict with the new, younger party leadership under Jack Barnes
Jack Barnes
Jack Whittier Barnes is an American Communist and the National Secretary of the Socialist Workers Party. Barnes was elected the party's national secretary in 1972, replacing the retiring Farrell Dobbs. He had joined the SWP in the early 1960s as a student at Carleton College in Minnesota and...
. Eventually, Lovell and many other members of the party were expelled; some of these, Lovell included, went on to establish the Fourth Internationalist Tendency
Fourth Internationalist Tendency
The Fourth Internationalist Tendency was a public faction of the Socialist Workers Party , formed after the 1983 expulsion from that organization of a group of supporters of the Fourth International. While the SWP was not formally affiliated with the International for legal reasons, it had until...
.
At the age of 84, Frank Lovell died in a heart attack in his apartment in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
on May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
1998.
External links
- The Lubitz TrotskyanaNet provides a biographical sketch and a selective bibliography of Frank Lovell
- Fourth Internationalist Tendency page at the Marxist Internet Archive includes a number of writings by Lovell.